The Long Game
by Ladneknamtip
Summary: Of all the coffee bars in all the towns Alex Vause walked into Piper's. When only one of the women remembers the other a dialogue sparks and a romance ignites. M Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, I haven't posted anything here in a while so be nice! I decided to start anew because I've had a lot people asking from other fics if I would carry on. I'm probably not going to be continuing those but here's something Vauseman to appease you all! I hope you enjoy it! Reviews and favourites are always always welcome!**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

The shop was quiet, filled only with the chatter of dispersed customers and the low hum of an electric fan oscillating in one corner. The girl behind the bar didn't look at all out of place in the green barista apron, her blonde hair bunched into two low pigtails either side of her head.

Alex pushed the door to the café open and stood for a moment observing the girl. She wiped the side, moved a stack of cups before she moved them back, wiped the same bit of side again and paused. It was a tactic she recognized fondly. The old I'm-trying-to-look-busy-even-though-I'm-bored-out-of-my-mind manoeuvre. Alex briefly registered that the girl looked familiar but dismissed the thought and grabbed a sandwich from the fridge.

She set it down with an empathetic smile as the girl turned to face her

"Slow day?" Alex shot her _the_ signature grin. The Vause grab-your-coat grin.

To her surprise, instead of the usual blush that usually met Alex's smile, the girl's blue eyes narrowed and the smile disappeared from her face.

"Yep. Any drinks?".

Slightly baffled and feeling as though she had missed a step Alex tried to claw control back to the situation.

"An iced latte with a shot of hazelnut please Love."

"Don't call me Love. Name?"

It was Alex's turn to blush, crimson flushed her face as she mumbled, "Alex"

"Got it. Wait at the end.".

Alex nodded, disgruntled by how this interaction had gone, Alex tried to rack her brains for when she could have possibly offended this girl. The girl put the takeaway cup down forcefully in front of her.

"Thank you" Alex mumbled. She turned the cup to see her name written on the side. Or not her name, in fact. There, in a loopy cursive, scrawled in black marker, "Alice".

Alex went back the next day. Same as before she watched the blonde haired barista go about menial tasks, cute as a button, even when serving a dozen customer until Alex joined the queue. As soon as Alex's sandwich and drink order crossed the bar, the girl slipped straight back into her Monosyllabic Sally routine.

"Name?".

"Alex" She made sure to say it clearly.

"Got it. Wait at the end".

Alex stood at the end of the bar, fighting a silent battle between asking the woman where she knew her from but decided better of it as her drink arrived,

"Your drink".

"Thanks".

She turned her cup again, and once again in the scrawling black handwriting, the wrong name, today she was, "Allie".

* * *

By the fifth day, she had been Alice, Allie, Alexa and Amy. Determined to figure out why this girl disliked her so much, she cut the woman off at "Name?".

"It's Alex. I've been in every day for the last week. You haven't managed to get it right yet so far. It's Alex".

"Cool". The girl gave a small smirk and did an exaggerated sweep of her hand over the cup, "Got it. Wait at the end".

Alex leant on the bar resting on her elbows and examined the girl as she made her drink.

"So, what is your name? I know you. I'm sure of it. From somewhere. But where?". The girl finished the drink and placed it in front of her. Twisting it in her direction so she could see what she had written on today's cup. And there, in glorious black script, "Alex Vause".

"YOU DO KNOW ME! Wait what, why? What's with torturing me?" Alex stood agape, completely infuriated and bemused. The barista gave a small shrug and a mischevious grin,

"Why not?".

Alex grumbled, stirring her drink with her straw,

"Because it's really, _really_ annoying".

"Um, but mostly it's been really, _really_ making me laugh."

Alex grabbed a packet of sugar from the side and threw it at the girl playfully, "Well stop it".

The girl laughed scooping the fallen packet from the floor.

"So where do I-?"

"Summer break, after senior year, you dated my friend", Piper watched with a grin as the expression on Alex's face twisted from confusion into bewilderment into realization, her eyes widening for just a moment and then finding the word,

"Oh my god, Polly. You're Polly's friend Piper!".

Piper bought one finger to her nose and then pointed at Alex grinning,

"You got it Abby!"

"Ha. Ha. Piper Chapman! Yes, yes, yes, I remember you now. You practically lived in those really short shorts all summer and -"Piper shot her a warning glance.

"And you dated my best friend let me remind you before you launch into a full-scale commentary on my legs or some other body part." She grinned, her smile reaching her bluer than blue eyes.

Alex grinned lightly and did an exaggerated gulp and pulled at her collar, "Right you are. So. Wow. How is Polly?". Piper laughed.

"Married actually. With child. Straight, unsurprisingly." Alex nodded, smiling wistfully.

"Yep, preeeetty sure I was more of a point of contention with her Mom than a serious commitment…I'm not actually even sure she even really liked me all that much.".

Piper grinned and chuckling agreed, "Yeah, no, she didn't really".

Alex laughed, directing her attention back to Piper herself and took in her eye-meeting grin and summery optimism that was evident in every action she did, "What about you? Lifetime coffee making dream fulfilled?", Alex asked, genuinely curious rather than asking questions as a means to an end like she did with most women.

"100%", Piper nodded overly enthusiastically, throwing her arms wide, indicating the shop around her,

"Living. The. Dream.". Alex snorted through a sip of her coffee.

"I'm doing this and that. I've thoroughly enjoyed bothering you though. That may have been the highlight of this most recent endeavour".

The women smiled at each other lightly, and as though the spell was broken, the moment splintered as the door closed with a thud and another customer approaches the register to order.

"Well then. I'll leave you to it. See you soon Piper Chapman."

"Bye Adaline"

Alex grinned into her drink as she pushed through the door and out into the car park glancing back through the window as Piper continued work.

* * *

The Jeep Alex drove was big, so big that it made her lengthy 5 foot 11 inches look petite. She called it the Beast, it's metallic steel edges and blacked out rear windows made it incredibly noticeable around this moderately sized town. No, it definitely wasn't the subtlest of vehicles but it was never the intention that she stay long enough for it to become an issue. Now she wasn't so sure, perhaps she'd have to swap the Beast in for a more conspicuous model.

She pulled up in front of the house and waited for the man to climb in. Neither broke the silence between them as she drove the fifteen minutes from the house to the grocery store but as she did so the man opened the glove compartment. From it he removed a small brown envelope and replaced it with another he had taken from his pocket. She pulled into a space and he swung the door open with a nod. She waved to him and he waved back with a grin. To any onlooker, just two old friends out for a drive. She pulled out of the space and drove away.

* * *

 **Let me know if there's something in particular you see for them or if there's anything you love/hate! Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Really enjoying this so far so we'll see where it goes! Any and all feedback is always welcome!**

* * *

 **Chapter two:**

Alex practically skipped up to the bar late Sunday morning.

"Guess who's staying in town for a bit?" She grinned over the bar like a child hopped up on sugar. Piper who was already making Alex's drink span round and slammed her hands on the counter, mock excitement taking over her expression.

"Oh my god! Let me guess! Let me guess! Is it Cher? I knew she secretly loved our sleepy little town with its coffee and its gays."

Alex gave her a pouty little frown and began to open her mouth to correct her guess when Piper burst into song. "IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, IF I COULD FIND A WAY!" Piper span round, fully committing to the bit, she grabbed a bottle of syrup to use as a microphone and pointed at Alex. Alex tried to keep her expression stoic but was inwardly relieved the shop was empty for this performance as she felt her cheeks beginning to burn. "I'D TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS THAT YOU AND YOU'D STAY" Piper crossed to the other side of the bar from Alex doing dramatic dance lunges as she went. Alex cracked up and Piper put the bottle down with a grin.

"I knew I could break you Vause! So you're staying?!".

Alex grinned as Piper finished her drink and handed it to her. "It looks that way. So I figured, since I'll be hanging around a bit more and since I obviously don't know anything about the town – which is why I spend all my time here, not for any other reason"

Piper gave an exaggerated nod, "Obviously".

"Well I figured I should get your number and then you can show me what there is to do for fun in this – what did you call it- sleepy little town with its coffee and its gays?"

Alex batted her eyelids and clasped her hands together over the counter, pretending to beg, "P-p-please Piper?". Piper broke into another round of laughter. "Is that a yes?"

Just as Piper was straightening up and trying to compose herself, a door Alex had assumed was a cupboard swung open to reveal a very stern faced thirty something man with short black hair. He wore his once white, now greying, polo shirt with all the buttons undone and upon noticing this fact, Alex decided immediately she did not like him.

"Piper. Could you not mess around with your friends" He shot Alex a dirty look, "Whilst your meant to be working. We have paying customers.".

Piper's joy from moments before was sucked out of the room like it was in a plane midflight with a hole in the side.

"Sorry Larry I was just-" Alex cut her off.

"Sorry Larry" She waved her drink at him. "I am a paying customer – the only one in the shop by the way - and as a customer, who is always right _by the way_ , request kindly that you stop being such an asshole maybe?" She punctuated the statement by smiling sweetly at him. The pair looked at her in unified shock, Piper's a mix of appreciation and fury and Larry's straight befuddlement. He gaped at her like a fish gasping for air. And then he pointed, a small boy looking for someone to fight his battle for him,

"Piper, are you going to let her speak to me like that?" Alex tried to keep the smirk off her face.

"Alex. This is my manager and my boyfriend. Larry. Larry this is Alex." The smirk disappeared.

"Oh. Sorry dude. I was just leaving anyway."

A smug expression found Larry's face and Piper looked as shit as Alex now felt. "See you later Pipes."

* * *

[Unknown Number]: Hi, sorry, I might have the wrong number, this is Piper? Piper Chapman?

[Alex]: Yes, this is the city morgue, who are you trying to contact?

[Piper]: Wow, didn't know you could text the morgue, technology has come so far.

[Alex]: Yes, yes, we're very advanced here.

[Piper]: Which city?

[Alex]: Metropolis

[Piper]: Oh really, how's Superman?

[Alex]: Really well, I'll pass on your regards.

[Piper]: Al, I'm really sorry about earlier. x

[Alex]: Sorry I was such a dickhead. He just stormed in treating you like shit and I bit his head off. It wasn't my place and I'm really sorry.

[Alex]: Wait, how did you get my number?

[Piper]: You gave it to me one night when you were really drunk, that summer, you said that Polly wasn't even gay and that if I wanted a good time you knew a girl…

[Alex]: Oh god. What an idiot. Please repress that, never mention it. Like ever again.

[Alex]: You did keep it though ;)

[Alex]: Okay, now repress that as well.

[Piper]: *Laugh-cry face* Wow. So smooth.

[Piper]: You wanted my number, and now you have it. Mission accomplished.

[Alex]: Mission accomplished. Tell Mr. Larry that you need a day off work tomorrow to show your bitchy friend the sights. I'll pick you up at eight. 3

[Piper]: Mr. Larry has been informed. See you then. Night.

[Alex]: Night Piper.

* * *

Piper was sat waiting outside the shop when Alex pulled up. Wearing shorts and a hoodie, her hair is down for a change in loose waves. Alex rolled the window down and leant out with an appreciative grin on her face.

"Could you like get a bigger car? Dude. Seriously. So bad for the environment." Piper shakes her head.

Alex gives a small laugh. "It's on my radar, okay? Getting a smaller one is on the agenda. Get in Taylor Swift." Piper flips her off and then walks around to the passenger side and climbs in. If Alex looked tiny in this car, Piper looked miniscule.

"I see the short shorts survived the years." Piper flipped her off again and Alex laughed and waited for Piper to plug her seatbelt.

"What?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Seatbelt, Miss Swift" Alex said with a smile.

Piper plugged her belt, looking at Alex, scanning her face trying to get a grasp on what was going on with her. She rarely got time when Alex came into the shop to really look at Alex. She had simultaneously stayed exactly the same and incredibly different from when they had first me. She was still incredibly attractive. Like seriously smoking hot. 5"11 of pure sex appeal. But she was older – which was not necessarily a bad thing – there was much more joy in her face now then there had ever been but also a tiredness that had never been there before.

"Why are you in town Al?" Piper turned her body fully in her chair, wiggling around the seatbelt to face her. Alex kept her eyes on the road and thought about lying.

She decided that honesty would be the best policy,

"My Mom died last year." She swallowed hard, "I don't know if you remember, she lived up state, a couple of hours away and my aunt used to live near here, she passed a few years ago. It's just me now. I was there sorting everything and since I haven't really known what to do with myself. I've been floating."

Piper rubbed her arm and Alex flashed her a small smile, refocusing on the road. "Anyway, I put out some feelers, I wanted to know anything anyone had to tell me about their lives, when they were younger or older or whatever. I want to know anything anyone remembers. Brian Green, he owns the grocery store just outside of town, he um, he called me. He knew my aunt really well, and he'd met Mom a couple of times when she'd been down visiting. He's been great."

"Have you met up with him yet?"

"Uh yeah, I mean I picked him up a week ago but I couldn't even find words, he gave me this envelope filled with photos and stuff and he took my memory stick so he could give me the files he had saved. But Pipes, I didn't even fucking say anything, I just waved. I think he got it though. He's really, really nice, so pleased to find that I wanted to know more. I just don't know if I'm ready to sit and chat about them like they're really gone, you know?"

Alex took a left turn and Piper nodded and let quiet fill the car for a moment or two.

"Hey Al, I could come with you, if you want, for moral support?" There was a moment or two of silence and then,

"Thanks Piper, I'd really appreciate that." She gave a heavy swallow again.

"Anyway! Fun. That was the mission today! And we're starting with a new car since this one bothers you so much."

Alex pulled the car into the car lot and Piper chuckled, dumbfounded. "Did you know I'd hate it or was that just a good guess?" Alex grinned and gave a little shrug and a wink. "Come on!" And with that she jumped out of the car.

* * *

 **Please review! Let me know what you love, hate and in between! Until next time!**


End file.
